Not Without Her
by bitchinator
Summary: After a particularly rough transformation, Tyler wakes up to find an upset Caroline. One-shot. Edited 6/23/2012.


**Edited June 23, 2012. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters in the story.**

By now they had developed their own little routine; she'd sit with him, stroking his hair, whispering in his ears, desperately trying to convince him & more than likely, herself that everything was going to turn out okay.

She'd stay until she couldn't anymore - until it wasn't safe for her there anymore - leaving him alone with the wolf within and a promise that she'd return as soon as she possibly could.

He had always wondered where she went when she left him there alone in the cellar. He had a feeling that it wasn't too far away. He'd pondered this thought many times before; he had his suspicions that she never left the woods.

The thought bothered him. When she first explained to him that a werewolf bit was fatal to a vampire, he'd been perplexed to say the least. If he could kill her so easily, why would she risk her safety, put her life on the line - for him, of all people.

It haunted him, but Caroline Forbes was anything but fragile. Even before she'd became a vampire, he'd always admired her strength and ability to persevere even in the toughest of situations.

They had some pretty close calls before, but so far he'd managed to not kill anyone. He was relatively harmless.

Well, as harmless as a monster could possibly be.

The following morning, he noticed changes in the mood of the cellar upon waking up. His mind told him something was wrong, before he'd ever opened his eyes.

Silence was there to greet him this morning. It worried him, greatly.

Immediately, his eyes opened on their own accord, and he frantically scanned the shelter.

He was used to being woken up with lots of chatter. Caroline was the kind of girl that believed she could somehow lessen his pain by distracting him with her banter. And she did, in her own way just by being there.

Through his tired eyes, he spotted her across the room. Her knees were pulled across her chest, her face was hidden beneath her messy, golden locks.

"Caroline," he managed to croak, his throat terribly dry.

In less than a second, she was sitting at his side; her beautiful face still hidden from his view.

"Caroline," he rasped again. His muscles screamed at him as he sat up and stretched an arm to touch her face. "Look at me."

Panic filled him. He'd never seen her so withdrawn, not even when he'd rescued her from her father's torture.

As she lifted her head to look at him, he took in her appearance. Her hair was matted, caked with dirt and blood, her clothes were torn, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Tyler," she muttered. He watched her, not looking away from her tear filled eyes, threatening to spill over at any give moment.

Even in her current state, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He pushed the though aside for now, there would be plenty of time to admire Caroline's beauty, now he had to find out what had happened.

"Come here," he soothed, reaching out once more to take her in his sore arms. She obliged, burying her head into his shoulder, as he wrapped his limbs around her back. "Talk to me. What's wrong, Caroline? Tell me what happened."

His mind was racing, and the silence seemed to be never ending. "I'm so sorry, Tyler," she finally managed before she gave in to the tears and sobs took over her body.

He pulled her closer to him, once again ignoring his body's pleas for him to stop. He rubbed circles in her back, trying to comfort her the best he could. "Shh, you're okay. I'm here, you can talk to me."

"There was a girl wondering around in the woods last night. She wondered down into the cellar." He could barely make out her words, they came out so fast and jumbled in between her sobs. She kept her face firmly pressed against his shoulder, refusing to look up at him. "I tried to stop her. I tried to stop both of you, but I didn't get her in time. I-I was stupid, arguing on the phone with Elena. I should have been paying closer attention."

He listened in horror as she recalled the story. Last night, he'd killed a girl and worse, he'd almost killed Caroline.

He'd almost killed the sweet girl who'd dedicated her whole summer to helping him cope with what he'd become, to loving him. He shuttered at the thought of a world without her.

Thinking that he could control the monster, he realized, was foolish. How could he justify putting his friends and family, a town full of innocent people, and her? He couldn't. The council was right to fear the supernatural. They should fear him and the other creatures of this terrified world he had found himself being thrust into a few short months ago.

Looking down at the Caroline's tiny frame in his arms, he held her close and smiled a sad smile. While he realized his loved one would be better off it he packed up and left again, in his heart he knew he would never be able to - at least, not without her.

**A/N: Okay. This was the first story I'd ever written. When I'd originally put it on this website back in November 2011, it was more of a five hundred word drabble, but I've gone back & spruced it up some. More than likely, I'll come back later & edit again. **

**I'd appreciate any feedback or criticism you have to offer. Thanks for reading! **


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